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Giles Kristian has been awarded the £10,000 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for Best Published Novel with Where Blood Runs Cold (Bantam Press).
The novel was selected by judges Jon Coates, Dwayne Fields, Rachel Joyce and Pip Stewart from a six-strong shortlist including Chris Hadfield’s The Apollo Murders (Quercus), John Marrs’ The Vacation (Pan Macmillan), T L Mogford’s The Plant Hunter (Welbeck Publishing Group), Chibundu Onuzo’s Sankofa (Virago) and Lizzie Pook’s Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter (Mantle).
Niso Smith, founder of the prize, said: “Where Blood Runs Cold is an action-packed winner with an emotional core that reminds us to value the loved ones in our lives. Giles’ Norwegian heritage shines through in his masterful portrayal of the beauty and peril held in the frozen landscapes of northern Norway.”
She also thanked the dedicated librarians and library staff who volunteered their time to read for the prize. “To the publishers and agents who submitted these books: we are thrilled to see the extent of adventure in the novels you are bringing into the world. Thank you for ensuring readers can be transported by tales such as these,” Smith said.
Smith formally announced Kristian as the winner at the virtual Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize award ceremony on 21st September, hosted by the Wilbur & Nisa Smith Foundation.
The annual prize has three distinct categories designed to find, support and celebrate the best aspiring and established adventure writers today, and these were also announced at the ceremony.
Across the categories, the prize received almost 700 submissions from writers of more than 60 different nationalities.
Five writers were selected for the inaugural New Voices award, supported by Bonnier Books UK, designed to support them to take an idea and turn it into a finished manuscript. The shortlisted authors hail from Australia, South Africa, the US and the UK and will receive one-to-one editorial guidance and mentoring.
The Author of Tomorrow category of the prize is open to young writers, aged 21 and under, who have completed a short adventure story. Prizes are awarded in three age categories – 11 and under, 12 to 15 years and 16 to 21 years – and the winning authors are: Jeremiah’s Revenge by Caleb Indhivan Victor (age 11, Malaysia); Brother, Bear by Ellie Karlin (age 13, UK) and Ketchup on Eggs by Grace Bailey (age 20, US). The Rajdhani Express by Rafi Ahmad (age 14, UK/Pakistan) was highly commended.